History Will Vindicate Us
by Tsphinx
Summary: A Cerberus wet team embarks on an operation that by all respects should be routine work. Get a glimpse of how Cerberus gets the job done in this short story. Rated T for death and minor cussing.


The transport shuttle was swaying ever so slightly as it made its descent toward its primary target. Inside were eight heavily armed and armoured figures, excluding the pilot. Their combat uniform bore the trademark colours of a Cerberus wet team, primarily white and black, tinted with orange. Their objective was simple; clear the facility of evidence of Cerberus presence and eliminate their priority target.

Part of this wet team was "2X-08", a human female in her early twenties. She had been with Cerberus for as long as she could remember and had been inducted into their tech branch at a very young age. She had been doing wetwork operations with Cerberus for some months now, her primary function being the Engineer and tech specialist of the people she knew only as "X-ray Squad".

Names are not shared amongst Cerberus operatives, she knew her squad mates only as their designated numbers, which ran from "2X-01" up to "2X-08", Oh-One being the squad leader, a tower of a man in specialized armour. Oh-Eight did not know their real names, she had only been with X-ray Squad a few months and yet she already trusted them like she would family. They were all fighting for a just cause and throughout their operations; they had all shown themselves reliable and efficient.

Oh-Eight was sitting in her designated spot, checking her Omni-Tool, making sure her modules were all running optimally, when the comm-link in her helmet started crackling.

"ETA: Two minutes X-ray squad!" Came the monotone voice of the shuttle-pilot, which was shortly followed by the gruff voice of Oh-One.

"Heads in the game X-ray," He began.

"We're mopping up after Strike squad Sierra-3, they've cleared the facility of the designated information and have extracted successfully. It is up to us to make sure that Alliance military finds no evidence of Cerberus presence and that our target is eliminated."

Oh-One paused. He didn't have to explain this, but it was all protocol. X-ray Squad had done enough wetwork in their time of active service to know the procedure.

"Oh-Eight!"

"Yes sir?" Oh-Eight responded without a moment's hesitation. It was all reflex by now.

"As soon as the perimeter is secured you are to achieve access to the facility's security network and proceed with command sixty-seven, understood?"

"Yes sir."

Once again Oh-One didn't have to explain all of this, but it was all protocol and he was required to do so. Command sixty-seven was essentially a clean sweep of security system logs, something that requires code A clearance on most Alliance databases, but can be circumvented by a hacker who is skilled enough. Luckily for X-ray squad, Oh-Eight was skilled enough.

Her comm died out once again, leaving her to fiddle with her Omni-Tool as Oh-One explained the details of the operation to the remaining members of X-ray squad.

Rule number one regarding Cerberus operations, information is on a strictly need-to-know basis. Oh-Eight had no idea of what her squad mates would be doing; she only knew her own objective and focused only on her objective. This method ensured that should an operative be captured alive, he or she would not be able to share vital information with the opposing force, leaving them with only one part of the puzzle.

As Oh-Eight was fine-tuning the override VI she intended to release into the facility systems, the monotone voice of the shuttle pilot came to life once more.

"ETA: Thirty seconds X-ray squad."

Oh-Eight reached under her seat and pulled out three hardened white squares. To the unknowing eye, the three plates could have been tiles for a floor, but to anyone familiar with Cerberus weaponry, they would immediately recognize the plates as automated turrets in their transport state.

After securing the inactive turrets on her back, she made one final check to her M-5 Phalanx Heavy Pistol and mentally prepared herself. Around her, the rest of X-ray Squad was checking their equipment. The clicks and buzzing of weapons being loaded and readied helped Oh-Eight steady herself. She was always nervous prior to an operation.

"ETA: Ten seconds X-ray." The pilot stated once again.

Those ten seconds passed in complete silence, the entirety of X-ray squad steadying themselves. Suddenly the shuttle came to a halt and the door swung open.

Oh-One was first man with his feet on the ground, followed swiftly by the rest of X-ray squad. Oh-Eight was the last one out and as she landed on her feet, she gave a solid knock on the hull of the shuttle, signalling the pilot to proceed.

The voice of Oh-One crackled in her helmet-link.

"Secure the area X-ray. Oh-Four and Oh-Two, you're on guard duty, Oh-Five take point."

As X-ray squad made their way through the facility, signs of the recent struggle were beginning to show. Dead Alliance security forces were spread throughout the area, along with the scientist who had been working on a project here.

After five minutes of baited breath, Oh-One declared the small facility clear and X-ray squad got to work concealing the signs of Cerberus activity. Oh-Eight made her way to the security station. She immediately scanned the layout of the tiny room and located the security terminal.

Within seconds she had cracked the code and had gotten past the required clearance protocols using her customized VI. Oh-Eight systematically began removing the original security feed footage, which quite clearly showed Cerberus troops forcefully making their way through the facility.

She replaced the footage, with doctored imagery of a notorious pirate-gang that roamed this nebula, known for assaulting research facilities and selling the stolen tech on the black market. The Alliance would never know any better and by the time their technicians figured out that the data was corrupt, Cerberus would have extracted from the sector, like they always did.

Oh-Eight couldn't help but feel a sense of smug pride, knowing the she was an essential part of one of the galaxy's most accomplished black ops groups. She knew that Cerberus was ruthless and the fact that it was loyal human soldiers that had to die was disheartening, but the times were desperate and as the instructors would tell her during her training.

"History will vindicate us!"

As she finished up the technical work, she made radio contact with Oh-One and gave him the all clear.

"Command sixty-seven has been carried out, sir!"

"Good Oh-Eight. X-ray squad, rendezvous at the extraction point, Oh-Seven, remain in position."

Oh-Eight quickly made her way back through the facility, grouping up with several of her squad members as they approached Oh-One at the extraction point.

"Listen up X-ray, following Alliance emergency protocol, an advance recon team will be breaching this facility in roughly five minutes."

Oh-One looked around on the members of X-ray squad.

"We have confirmation that the recon team being dispatched is led by our person of interest. It is of utmost importance that he is eliminated. Oh-Seven is currently in position to take the shot, but in case something goes wrong I want you all to fan out in this area and be ready to focus fire on my command."

"Yes sir!" Came the unanimous answer from X-ray squad as they quickly dispersed around the area, taking up key defensive positions.

Minutes passed as Oh-Eight laid down one of the inactive turrets, preparing it for activation and checking up on her weapons once again. Finally the light buzzing of an approaching shuttle could be heard and within moments the transport vehicle was in sight. It hovered over the landing pad a moment before opening its doors, allowing the Alliance recon squad to jump out.

Oh-Eight counted twelve enemy troops in total. The comm was completely dead for several seconds as the shuttle disengaged and the recons started spreading out, when a loud boom echoed throughout the facility.

Oh-Seven had taken the shot and one of the Alliance soldiers slumped over in the middle of the area, an enormous bullet-wound in his head.

All hell broke loose as the recons started firing at Oh-Sevens position.

"Open fire!" Came the hurried command of Oh-One as the Cerberus forces started exchanging lethal shots with the recon team.

"Oh-Eight, shut down their communications, do not let them contact their command!" shouted Oh-One down the comm.

Oh-Eight immediately activated her Omni-Tool as she gave the inactive turret at her feet a light bump with her clenched hand. The turret slowly began unfolding as Oh-Eight worked on jamming the recon teams communications by disturbing the local frequency, with bullets flying through the air around her.

"Sir, I won't be able to kill their communications without killing our own, there is only one frequency available out here and we're using different channels on the same one!" Oh-Eight yelled down her comm.

"Whatever it takes Oh-Eight!"

And with that, all chatter went quiet, the only sounds coming from the small facility being gunfire and death screams.

The recons put up a valiant effort but they were out-positioned. Superior numbers meant little against an experienced black ops squad who had them boxed in a killzone.

The steady drumming of the automated turret next to her, firing at the recon team, stopping only to allow the barrels to cool helped calm Oh-Eight, much like the loading of weaponry. With a deep breath she swung her pistol over her cover and fired with deadly accuracy at the remaining recons.

There were only four of them left, the rest lay either dead or dying in the tiny docking area. The recons knew that the situation was impossible, but the longer they could delay Cerberus, the less chance Cerberus would have to escape.

The recons had erected a barrier of shipping boxes and while they weren't going anywhere, they were near enough impossible to hit from the current position.

Oh-Eight felt a sudden tap on her should and turned to face Oh-One who was kneeling behind her.

"Oh-Eight, I need you to overload the enemy weaponry in precisely thirty seconds!"

"Count on it, sir!"

Overloading weapon systems was child's play and Oh-Eight readied her Omni-Tool as Oh-One made his way towards the barrier, the recons being heavily suppressed by the rest of X-ray squad. Oh-Eight had started counting in her head the moment Oh-One had begun to move. She reached thirty, stood up from behind her cover and overloaded the assault rifles of the recons.

Just as their weapons jammed, Oh-One jumped over their makeshift barricade, shoving an armoured elbow into the face of one the recons with a sickening crunch, he then turned to face the rest of them and opened fire, his M-96 Heavy Rifle punching through their shields and armour with ease. They didn't even have time to pull their sidearm.

The battle was over and X-ray squad rallied at the rendezvous point, their target eliminated and all evidence of their presence erased.

"Good work X-ray, catch your breath." Oh-One ordered. "I'll radio our transport, we extract in two minutes. Oh-Eight, re-establish communications."

Oh-Eight breathed a sigh of relief. No matter how professional her training had been, these ops always took their toll on her. She stopped jamming the current frequency and quickly went to retrieve her turret, returning it to transportation mode with a second bump on the plate.

It was first when she had the turret firmly on her back and was headed towards her squad, she noticed something was wrong. Oh-One had not yet been able to hail their transport shuttle.

"Dammit!" Oh-One exclaimed. "I am getting no response. Check the channel Oh-Eight."

Oh-Eight brought up her Omni-Tools interface, but everything seemed to be in order.

"Nothing wrong on that end, sir. Something has gone wrong."

Not a moment sooner than she had spoken those words, a shuttle approached the facility. Only it wasn't a Cerberus shuttle. Still in approach flight, the doors of the shuttle swung open. The colour scheme of the armour was unmistakeable.

"It's-"

A single loud shot silenced Oh-Four midsentence, his helmet cracked through and through. He fell to the ground.

"SHEPHARD!" Oh-One finished the sentence for him.

If Oh-Eight had not been wearing a helmet everyone would've seen that she was standing there, mouth wide open at the sheer impressiveness of that last shot. Hitting a mobile target, from a fast-moving vehicle, right between the eyes was by no means an easy feat.

She was snapped out of her stupor as another shot sailed through the air, punching straight through the eye-socket of Oh-Two.

"Squad member flat-lined!" Oh-One cried out. "X-ray squad, retreat! Double time! Get your Asses in gear! Move, move, move!"

Oh-Eight started sprinting along with the rest of X-ray squad, peppering the incoming shuttle with covering fire as they ran. The squad had just turned a corner as the sound of bullets hitting metal echoed through the room, they had narrowly escaped the third sniper round.

X-ray squad had recovered from this surprise assault and Oh-One was in full command mode.

"Oh-Seven, I want you above the security terminal NOW!" Oh-Three and Oh-Five you two take cover behind that desk, you're on flank-duty."

Oh-One turned to Oh-Eight and Six.

"Oh-Eight, I want your turrets covering every possible angle of this room and I wanted it yesterday! Oh-Six, you're with me!"

X-ray squad immediately got in position, Oh-Eight was setting up turrets in key positions in a rush, Shephard would be coming through the door any second.

"Oh-Seven, do you have eyes on?" Asked Oh-One.

"Affirmative sir!" Came the answer from Oh-Seven who was looking through the scope of his rifle.

"I see three hostiles approaching, one Turian, one Asari and Commander Shephard. Permission to engage?"

"Hold your fire Oh-Seven, pinning them out there will do us no good, wait for my command."

The room was tense as X-ray squad waited for Commander Shephard's inevitable approach. Oh-Eight felt herself sweating under her armour. If the reports she had read about the Commander were true, they were in for one hell of a fight. But he was just one man. X-ray squad had killed hundreds of men in their service time.

Never lost a member though and losing two in the span of ten seconds had taken its toll on Oh-Eights psyche. She was in shock.

Without warning, a ball of blue energy curved around the doorway and slammed into Oh-Three, within a split-second it imploded on itself, creating a gravitational pull, which sucked both Oh-Three and Oh-Five out from cover. Another loud shot pierced the air as Oh-Fives abdomen exploded in a shower of blood.

"Biotic!" Yelled Oh-One.

The remainder of X-ray squad could do nothing but watch as Oh-Three struggled to get out of the gravitational pull, only to have damn-near his entire head blown off by that infernal sniper.

"We can't stay here, sir!" Oh-Six exclaimed. "Our cover is useless against a biotic, we need to storm our way out!"

"Agreed! X-ray squad prepare to storm! Anything you can do to give us an edge, do it!"

With that order, Oh-One lobbed a smoke-grenade through the doorway and X-ray squad stormed out. Oh-Eight immediately overloaded the enemy's weaponry as she turned the doorway. She started firing along with the rest of her squad against Shephard and his accomplishes, but the enemy was experienced, and had all dived for cover the moment they realized their weapons were out of commission.

Another blue ball of energy slammed into the chest of Oh-Seven, sending him flying through the room. Oh-Eight gasped in surprise as her own weapon overloaded and almost exploded in her hands.

"They've got a tech!" She screamed to her squad.

Moment's later shots were being returned from Shephard's party, the weapon overload having passed. They we're pinpoint accurate and it was only Oh-One's shields that saved him from meeting his end right there and then.

Oh-Seven hadn't gotten back up since that biotic attack had hit him, Oh-Six had fallen to a precise burst of fire from Shephard's assault rifle, Oh-One had lost shields and Oh-Eight was silently coming to terms with her impending doom.

The shooting had stopped from across the room and with a resolute mind Oh-Eight rose to fire upon the enemy, only to be greeted but the butt of Shephard's Assault Rifle swinging towards her face.

She felt her nose break as the world went dark and she fell to the floor. The last thing she saw was Oh-One activating the failsafe mechanics in his suit, immediately killing himself.


End file.
